Shin Bone Lake in Benson County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Shin Bone Lake is a Benson County water, in North Dakota. The setting is pine and birch. At some 397 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The full circuit measures close to 2.9 miles on foot. Fort Totten sits 16 miles from the bank. Fargo sits 112 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Shin Bone Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Benson County cover black bullhead, white bass and northern pike. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Shin Bone Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 69°F and January reads 5°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Shin Bone Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Elbow Lake, 3.2 miles out. For Shin Bone Lake in particular, ask before you travel.